Battle of the Bulge

World War Two. 65 years ago today (December 16, 1944) saw the start of the German 'Ardennes Offensive' (the Battle of the Bulge). The Allied forces were advancing towards Germany, pushing the Germans back town by town and this was Hitler's last attempt to stop the momentum. The aim was to cut the Allied armies in two and then push on towards the port of Antwerp, a vital Allied stronghold.

"Nuts"
Heavy fog prevented the Americans from employing airpower and the German advance forced a dent in the American line (hence battle of the 'Bulge'). Germans, dressed in American uniforms and driving captured US jeeps, caused confusion and within five days the Germans had surrounded almost 20,000 Americans at the crossroads of Bastogne. When the German commander gave his American equivalent, Major-General Anthony McAuliffe, the chance to surrender, McAuliffe answered with just the one word - "Nuts."

The bursting of the Bulge
Near Christmas the fog lifted, the Americans launched their planes, the Germans ran out of fuel and the bulge was burst. The Ardennes Offensive did delay the Allied advance but by January 28 the line was back to where it was on December 16. The march on Berlin was back on.

The struggle and conditions at Bastogne are brought to life in the excellent US TV series Band of Brothers. There was also a 1965 film starring Henry Fonda and Terry Savalas, "The Battle of the Bulge", a classic American epic where sometimes, it has to be said, historical accuracy took second place to entertainment but none the worse for that!

Rupert Colley.
Read all about World War Two at historyinanhour.com